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NWSL Backlash Builds Over Angel City Player’s Op-Ed as League and Union Defend Barbra Banda

The dispute spotlights the league’s lack of a current participation policy.

Overview

  • On Oct. 27, Angel City FC’s Elizabeth Eddy urged the NWSL to adopt sex-based eligibility rules, citing the FA’s “born with ovaries” requirement or SRY genetic testing.
  • Angel City captains Sarah Gorden and Angelina Anderson said teammates were hurt and called the op-ed’s undertones transphobic and racist, and the club said the piece does not represent the organization.
  • The NWSL, the NWSL Players Association, and the Orlando Pride issued statements praising Orlando forward Barbra Banda and condemning harassment, with the union noting every NWSL player was assigned female at birth.
  • The league says it has no active transgender participation policy after dropping its 2021 testosterone-based framework in 2022.
  • Eddy has defended her position in interviews, said players around the league have privately supported her, and invited her Angel City teammates to her wedding as she seeks reconciliation.